On July 17-18, 2019, in Cairo, CLDP, in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the International Trade Administration, and the World Bank Group, held a conference on the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) for officials from the Egyptian Customs Authority (ECA), members of the Egyptian National Trade Facilitation Committee (NTFC), and representatives from the Federation of Egyptian Industries. 

In June, Egypt deposited its instrument of ratification and notified its B and C categories under the Agreement.  At the conference, the Undersecretary of Egypt’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Head of the ECA Customs Reform Unit presented on Egypt’s submissions, priorities for reform, and the progress the country has made in forming its NTFC and advancing Customs draft legislation incorporating many TFA reforms.

Industry previewed the trade and investment opportunities associated with WTO TFA reforms, and expressed encouragement to the Government of Egypt on its plans for reform.  

Expert panels featured a line-by-line review of the TFA provisions, and experts engaged multiple Egyptian agencies in a discussion of the Agreement’s principles and best practices for its implementation. 

This conference marks the beginning of a multi-year cooperation program with USAID and the Government of Egypt on implementation of WTO TFA reforms. Coordinating with the World Bank and other donors, CLDP has agreed to provide assistance on WTO TFA Article I, Publication and Availability of Information; Article III, Advance Rulings; and Coordinated Border Management.